A spoon full of sugar
by gwilwileth
Summary: “I want to get into the core of the matter, you believe you were abducted-” “You want me to write it out? Re-live it?” the woman looked none to pleased
1. prologue

Disclaimer: We do not own or pretend to own Lord of the Rings (well only sometimes) A spoon full of sugar… 

**By Gwilwileth & Earedien **

**Prologue**

The room was that of an intellectual, it was easily seen.  A wall was covered from one end to the other in books of varying sizes, shades and thickness.  A desk was piled in somewhat messy piles, yet a feel organisation was upheld.  The computer was covered in post it notes, all neatly colour coded, a messy hand had scrawled across them in perfectly neat rows.  

A suite of deep blue was in the centre of the room a Persian rug between them.

Atop an armchair a clipboard held in hand, pen poised sat a man in his forties, his hair already slightly greying.  "As I was saying miss-"

"Look, you're going to say I'm mad, yes, I already know that you are, don't shake your head at me.  This…this…story, no adventure I had, was so surreal and I know it sounds impossible.  It's not, honestly, I can remember it as clear as day, and I _know_ I have no proof."

"Could you please stop talking?  I need to say something!"

"I thought psychology was the talking therapy."

"It is.  You can talk, but I have too as well or you won't get anywhere will you?"

"Why do you care?  You're paid to sit there and listen to my delusions."

"I don't think they're delusions."

"Yes, you do." Blue eyes flashed "don't lie to me, I'm not some naïve girl any more, I _know_ when people are lying to me, you would to if you lived around _them_, maybe only for three weeks but I can still tell, they were so good at lying and well, to be honest you're not."

"You're hardly a girl." The psychologist looked at the woman in pity

"You think?"

"Yes I do."

"It was rhetorical.  And any one with half a brain could tell that _you_ think, unless that certificate in the frame, pride of place over the mantle piece is a lie."

The mans eyes briefly flickered over to the certificate showing that he had indeed got his degree in Psychology with honours at Oxford of all places.

"Stop trying to distract me."

"I'm easily distracted, write that down in your notes it could be important."

"I want to get into the core of the matter, you believe you were abducted-"

"Good heavens no!  Maybe that certificate is a fake; I'll take a look at it later.  I said I was, well how would I put it?  Transported?  Shifted?  I don't know!  This is why I came to you, though I can see that it was a bad idea.  Too much money an hour for you to ask me questions I don't know the answer to.  If I wanted to do that I could have rung my mother she's great at that."

"You seem confused."  Announced the man, clicking his pen as if to prove his point.

"That's it?  Confused?  My goddamned cat could tell me that, and he has no degree, for gods sake he can't even spell now _please_ tell me something I don't know.  If I have to admit to going to a shrink could I at least be able to say that I got something out of it?"

"I hadn't finished.  You seem confused as to what actually happened so I'm going to-"

"Submit me to a mental institution where I can end my days in a padded cell rocking slowly backwards and forward?"

"So I'm going to recommend that you go home and sleep on it, whatever, and write down clearly what happened, inside your head, your thoughts, feelings anything that you feel may be relevant.  When you're done come back and give it to me and I'll read it and see what I think, that would be the best way forward.  I need to know what happened." His face contorted into an odd shape "_exactly_ so that I can help you, the more organised, the better."

"You want me to write it out?  Re-live it?" the woman looked none to pleased 

"Yes I do."

"But I don't want to."

"If you want me to help you this is the best way forward.  And on the plus side you won't have to spend large amounts of money on me listening to you as you find it so outrageous."

"Yes, fine, I'll do it. Should I arrange an appointment for my next session?"

"Write it out, come in leave it on my secretaries desk she will give it too me, I'll call you when I have finished reading it."

After a lengthy drive home the women sat at her desk a finger atop the F and J buttons ready to start typing.

**I was sitting on my bed…** keys were pressed furiously.

Well that is the first chapter in all of its glory… 

_Feel free to review…_


	2. helps the medicine go down

**A spoon full of sugar…**

**Chapter one:…Helps the medicine go down**

**By Gwilwileth and Earedien**

I was sitting on my bed a box of _Kleenex_ tissues on my lap.  My nose was red raw, stinging, my eyes were bloodshot I had been up half the night hadn't I?  This flu had gone around my family and friends and I thought I was immune to it, I mean I hadn't got so much as a sniffle and then suddenly _wham_, there it is, the biggest case of flu I'd had in my life.  Luckily I was at the tale end now, the hot and cold flushes had gone, only the headaches, vomiting and nose blowing to go, thank god the sore throat had gone.

Then I blink, yes that's right _blink_ and Toto I ain't in merry old England anymore.  I'm laying on a table a rather large wooden table with six of the ugliest men you could ever set your eyes on.  Now they're eyes, they could rival mine, in bloodshot-iness.  They were all red, and sort of half closed, squinting, maybe they needed glasses?  But as for the rest of their bodies, or indeed faces, well I don't really _want_ to describe them but it's important, so I'll tell you anyway.  They had mangy beards, all wiry and matted with food stuck to it, and wet where the beer had spilled while they chugged it down.  They looked at me eyes glinting and so I scramble off the table into… a corner, yes a corner of all the places I had to end up, a corner with these six men around me.  

They grinned and you could see every colour of the rainbow, though admittedly it would be a very grungy rainbow.  Varying colours from yellow to black teeth all grinned at me, and started advancing towards me.

And then, I sneezed and they jumped five foot in the air and took 10 steps back, and then I sneezed again and they did the same.  There was a gap and I could of gotten through it, but some how striding forward, head held high, in my rather short nightie (you could see my knickers) and saying "better luck next time boys." was not going to cut it.  I mean my knickers were these large granny pants things that I'd worn while I was ill, they were _comfortable_.  Why couldn't I be wearing something lacy, or at least a small pair?  I'm not saying a G-string or anything, but if they can see my knickers couldn't they at least been a good pair?   Though then again that would have furthered their opinion that I was in fact a whore.  No wait, I don't think there could be a possibility that I _wasn't_, you know they could seem my ankles.  No hold that thought they could see my angles, my shins, my knees and about seven inches of thigh minimum.  

So I stood there, stock-still and waited…and waited and then they finally pounced.  One of them grabbed my roughly by the arms and pulled me to him, but then thank god the bar tender turned up and announced there would be no whores in his pub, I heartily agreed until he announced that he was going to frog march me to the local prison.

Not what I had expected at all.

I arrive at the prison and the prison man, whatever he's called just stare at me, his eyes going up and down my form, very disconcerting I must tell you, especially in my 'whore costume'.

"There be a rule about you."

"Really?" I tried to look innocent, though I don't think I worked, especially as the strap of my nightie was now over my shoulder, the top of my nightie getting lower, and lower showing more and more cleavage.

I could see it, the dirty old man was staring at me.  When I say me I mean my chest and not my face per se.  "I didn't realise, if I had I wouldn't have worn my…er…ball gown to the tavern."

"You're not from these parts are you?"

I winced at his scratching voice "No, I don't believe I am." I hope I'm not.  Who would want to be?

"Then why were you laying on one of my tables, insulting my regulars like that?"  I looked at the portly bar tender.

"I wasn't insulting them." Could this man read minds or something?

"Yes-"

"Now, now, Jerihal.  She's under my custody now."

Custody?  Why custody?

And so I found why self I a grungy, dark, downright dirty prison cell which obviously hadn't been cleaned in the last age.  It was hell. If hell were freezing.  The prison guard leered at me the whole time, while I tried to cover as much of my body with my nightie to both protect my modesty and keep me warm.  When I say modesty I don't really mean that…I just wanted to keep his roving eyes off me.

Now, I know that I was in a prison cell, but could it at least have been above the poverty line?  No blankets!  No food!  No clean water! And most importantly of all, no toilet!  How did they expect me to cope?  My bladder wasn't a bottomless well, and there was nothing, no bucket.

Now I'm sure that pervious, erm tenants of this cell just used a wall or something, women don't really end up in prison cells, at least here they don't.  

Sleeping was a pain, I could lie on these 3 planks roughly stuck together, but they were very narrow planks and I had the tendency to sort of…fall off it.  Now, I could lean on the wall, you know sort of sit up while I slept, now I would have done this ignoring how cold the stone was against the bare parts of my back (and the covered for that matter) but the walls were covered in mould, with tiny little insects crawling up and down it, not to mention how damp it was.  I don't know maybe I was under a lake or something, but surely a building could not be that wet?

So, I spend 4 days in there, I won't say worst, that comes later, but most boring days of my life, also nearly the most embarrassing, apart from…no that comes later on in the story.

I spent the days idly working out how to escape, but I don't think I could of with out the help I had later, the walls were of solid stone, and the door, well that was locked, with a bar, and a padlock and some other weird contraption they had built.

How did I get out you ask?  Well that's a long story.

_A/n I'm apologising greatly for the delay, and blame it all on moi, Earedien at your service, I was erm….indisposed and the work oh the work **break down and cries** but I must pick myself up to answer reviews…_

**_Mayrana_**_:  It is continued, and mill be continued **mutters mantra in head**_

**_cookies-will-invade_**_:  Confusion? Pah!  I laugh in the face of confusion!  The prologue was there to intrigue you, and then confuse you! :)_

**_Dakota_**_:  hello my dear nic **pats on head** just remember the gwil writes this to!  **cackles madly for an unknown reason**  In a cupboard I tell you in a cupboard! And the grandfather turning up! **Ahem**_

**_Candy:  moley!_**_  Artemis fowl? We're being compared to Artemis fowl???? **bows deeply in a non dwarf/hobbit type of way**  hehe knowing me make no difference at all!_

_Earedien & Gwilwileth_


	3. does not help those with out food

**A spoonful of sugar**

**chapter two**

It was the forth night; cold, damp and bleak.  Counting the number of bricks that made up the four walls of my pen had become boring, the number of crawling insects made me suspicious, the feeling that they were crawling all over my body was not something that I liked or sought after.

My ramblings became my solace, especially during the night, the only sound being the drip, drip, drip of water, akin to Chinese water torture, though I'm sure that had not been purposeful.

Suddenly there was a scream, and then another scream and before I knew it the sounds of running and shouting came from everywhere, out of a particularly large crack that I had come to call a window I saw blazing light, there were people carrying lanterns marching through this village!

"Get her!"  Came the voice of Daenaf, the prison guard of the present time.  The door of my cell was flung open, his bulky form silhouetted against the candles that illuminated the corridor.

"You are coming with me!"  he announced eyes gleaming

"I'm going no where!" I rasped pitifully from the corner.  My throat was dry and sore I had drank nothing and as sleep had evaded me I was weak.

"Get up." Was the reply as he came further into the cell, his form now becoming more vivid.

I continued to sit, I would not stand, I _could_ not stand.

"_Get up_" there was an edge to his tone, but I remained defiant.

He leaned forwards and grabbed my arm, pulling me up.  A variety of clicks were heard as my muscles and bones retaliated, they had not been used in two days, I had stayed in the same position as I realised that my endless pacing would relive me of nothing, I would still be hungry and thirty.

Daenaf ignored this dragging me along "I see she is here.  Still alive."  I turned my heads towards a new man, he was dressed somewhat richly, his appearance clean and his beard cut neatly.  "A surprise I must say."  An index finger was placed beneath my chin forcing me to look upon his face.  I glared.  The only way to show my hatred was to do this.  "Send her out, we will leave her for those _barbarians_ as she seems insistent upon not accepting our hospitality."

There was a resounding silence and I realised, he was going to leave me in the wilds to take care of my self, with no weapons, not that I could use them and no clothes other then the scant I had on.

Daenaf said nothing and I soon came to the conclusion that he had understood little of what the man had said.  Words such as insistent, hospitality and perhaps even accepting going right over his head.  "He means take me out of this village and leave me there."  I said caustically.

There was no mark of confirmation; I was just dragged further down the corridor.  Daenaf then stopped and let go off me causing me to fall to the floor.  "I won't pretend to understand why he is doing this." He meant letting me go "but I do know that if you come here again the barman will not save you and you'll end up shackled to the wall in someone's house with less on then now.  Hopefully it will be my house."  He said this chillingly and I knew he meant it, I was not defiant now, fright over took me though I did not whimper.  

Again, I was dragged up, a door was opened and I was in the inky night.  Sounds of doors slamming shut, locked and then bolted could be heard.  The pace at which I was 'walking' became quicker Daenaf was running from something.

He abruptly let go of me causing me to drop to the floor, as I tried to get up and kick in the side hindered me causing me to fall again.  I turned to look at him but he was already gone and I was alone on the outskirts of this town with absolutely nowhere to go.

My eyes gradually became accustomed to the little light there was.  I could see trees, tall and high yet an aura of grave danger emanated from them.  Bright yellow eyes that shone from amongst them punctuated this and suddenly terror filled my heart.

Wracking sobs came unbidden through my body as I curled into the foetal position, rocking backwards and forwards, though this offered no comfort.

Rain gradually started to pour starting in a gentle patter before working its way into a stampede of sharp bullets pummelling my body, sending shots of pain throughout.

Then I heard it, the soft crack of a twig as someone stepped on it.  How I heard this above the steady drum roll I knew not, but I had heard it all the same.  I looked around wildly, my limp hair slapping my face and then I was plunged into further darkness as something was put over my head. The material was rough and course, inflaming my already tingling skin.  I could hear though, even if the sound was slightly muffled "who is she?"

"I know not, we will take her to the king."

That was when I fell into the security of unconsciousness 

_A/n sorry for the delay, blame her! **pints at a cowering Gwilwileth**  Some hoe I have been given the pleasure of replying to reviews again, I seem to get that a lot…_

**_Candy:_**_  She was in prison because they thought she was a prostitute and as they are illegal in the town she ended up in she was put in prison._

**_Dakota:_**_  We're being cruel?  This is only the start!  More girl torture to come my dumpling! Okay that kinds kinda wrong, I'll stick with nic nac.  Oh and 'girl' is kinda wrong, she's about **thinks** 25-ish._

**_Mayrana_**_:  Yep, we like cliffies, in fact I want every chapter to end in a cliffy but gwil says that's not totally possible.  Hmph._

**_Lomadia/jereriviel:_**_  puppy dog eyes seem to be a regular occurrence, why do people think we like puppies?  Well we do…but, ok me thinks I've lost my own reasoning's…_

**_BlackmageI2_**_:  a very, enigmatic review!_

_Earedien & Gwilwileth_


	4. quickly followed by a kick in the gut

**A Spoonful of Sugar**

**Chapter three:…Quickly followed by a kick in the gut**

Written by: **Earedien**

Swirls of a variety of colours gently made their way across my mind, gently fading as the solace of my thoughts began to offer no comfort.

I could now feel, the fuzzy cocoon that I had found my self in was rudely torn apart and unfortunately I was _no_ butterfly.  I blinked, and then blinked again, I could not believe this!  I was in the dark again and my wrists were sore.  

Eventually I recollected what had previously happened and I remembered the bag that had been put over my head!  Its rough material grated against my skin as I tried to look around.  Gradually I realised that my hands were bound behind me, the reason for the resounding pain shooting up my arm.

My air was still slightly damp, contributing to the musty smell of the sack, which was laced with an undercurrent of…was that flowers?

The thoughts was quite perplexing, whoever had abducted me, albeit from the middle of nowhere, had also been collecting flowers?  This seemed somewhat wrong, most definitely wrong!

I could hear nothing but the scratching of the rough fabric on my skin as I turned my head in vain, hoping that I could somehow be free to breathe fresh air again.

And then it came; the incomprehensible urge to scream.  I am never one to think about what I do, well on the whole I do before I think, and this _was_ one of these occasions, so I opened my mouth, took in a deep lungful of air and screamed like I'd never screamed before.

That certainly caught whoever's attention.

Suddenly I could hear movement around me and shouts of "_Dina_!" and "_Ed' i'ear ar' elenea!_"

I had no idea what these people were on about, the prison guards had been bad enough in their middle age English, but this was surely becoming ridiculous; I did nonetheless continue to scream, pausing only to gulp down some more air.

Abruptly, the sack was wrenched from my head, scratching my skin harshly.  Mutinous eyes looked at me harshly before exclaiming "_Dina_!"

The scream died in my throat before I closed it realising I would no longer be able to speak, my throat had already been dry and parched, it would now be red raw, my voice being lost.

"Lle lava?"  He asked strictly, his eyes boring into mine.

I stared at him; lips pursed before subtlety quirking an eyebrow in question.  His eyes hardened before asking "_Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie_?"

I sighed audibly before looking around his to see where I was.  The forest that I had previously looked at in abject horror was still there; in fact I was now in the aforementioned forest, wood, whatever it was.  We appeared to be in some sort of grove.  There was a circle of cleared trees, I was on the outskirts of it, the centre holding a blazing fire that I couldn't help but yearn for.  Dead laves littered the forest floor, hard and crunchy, it must have been autumn as they had not yes decomposed adding nutrients to the soil.

There were about twenty other people, all of which were blond, just like the man that had shouted at me in gibberish.  I was stopped from making further analysis as a finely manicured hand gently cupped my chin before turning it back to when it had previously been.  The man _again_.  His eyes were slightly softer though the dark blue orbs still kept a lot of restraint and power "I take it you do not speak Sindarin then."  

There was a severe urge to say "no shit." But this was quelled, it would be improper, not that I cared, but these people _were_ holding me prisoner, but it was coupled with the fact that I could not talk.

The man stared at me in waiting, idly tapping his leather booted foot on the floor.  When I did not respond he crouched down, to be eye level with me "Are you a mute?  Or deaf and dumb?"

I narrowed my eyes, and he smirked "You can hear me then and understand what I am saying." He seemed to be talking more to himself then at me "What remains to be asked then, is _why_ you will not respond.

Suddenly someone spoke to him in this 'Sindarin' language, gibberish as far as I could tell.  He responded with "_Mani naa ta_?" he sounded somewhat irritable, whether this was because it broke his 'interrogation' or because this other person had asked something stupid.

"'_Mani naa essa en lle_?'" he echoed.  Turning to me he asked, "What is your name?"

Ahh, a very good question, yet somehow I did not feel like giving my captors, who ever they were my real name.

"Cinderella." I replied sarcastically, though the effect was somewhat dampened by my rasping voice, eventually giving way to racking coughs, sending fire through my throat

"Cinderella?" he echoed softly "Well Cinderella, my name is Daugnir, I am leader of this platoon, and I am taking you to my home." He said this nicely but I could see the underlying tone, I could go there agreeably, or the hard way, most probably involving that damned sack again.

Why I was being taken there I did not know, though it seemed to me that I was going there for interrogation, why? What did they hope to glean from me?  I knew nothing; I didn't even know where I was!

I nodded before glaring irritably around me.  The men had decided to go back to whatever they had been doing before I have screamed my head off.  Some went back to the bedrolls, others stoked the fire while some decided to stare at me, I did not know if they had been doing this previously and it just furthered my contempt for my captors.  Only I could get out of one prison to be caught by another set of people.

My mind whirled in though remembering the mans talk of '_Barbarians_' is that who these people were?  Barbarians? 

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, was I to be shown a tyrannical leader intent on killing me, or worse?

Two hours of sitting in silence followed, I idly wondered if this was another of their tortures or some sort of test, how far could I endure the silence when they knew that millions of questions were milling around in my head.  They did not know, however, that asking these would have been impossible anyway, my throat had gone back to stinging resolutely, in fact the only time the impermeable silence was broken was when I broke out in raking coughs that seemed to be intent on ripping my body in two.  

I reverted to the tactic I had strongly upheld during my time in the prison, my thoughts.  Where was I? Was the main point, though closely followed by wondering how? Why? And who?  

My eyes became glazed as they focussed, more ridiculous ideas forming in my mind, apparently due to the mass of pink and grey inside my head melting down into a ball of goo, my nerves frazzled, the chemicals used for signals to cross Synapses seemingly gone where they were most vital.  I found myself wishing that I had some Levodopa*.  

"Cinderella." The cacophony that was my brain was suddenly penetrated as Daugnir shook me "We are leaving now, get up."  

I complied though I was wondering, why was he being so nice too me?  This thought was hastily put to the back of my mind, the causes and consequences of his actions were not to be analysed, as least not at that time.

The people around me were suddenly up in a flurry, the fire was hastily being put out, covered in leaves and other debris, making sure that if someone came upon this spot they would not realise that someone had been camping there.  I was impressed, had I not known that there had been a fire there I would not have realised that there had been one.  This wasn't really a compliment as such, my wood skills were next to nothing and my eyesight was becoming somewhat blurred.

They suddenly went into formation and I was put between two people and we matched forward for what seemed like hours.

In my dilapidated state I couldn't help but trip up on practically every single root that came my way, my feet not really coming up off the ground as I scuffled along.

As the sun began to set the platoon abruptly stopped and I found Daugnir before me "Cinderella, you are about to before King Thranduil in his court."

My heavy heart plummeted; I was to meet the King of Mirkwood?  From Middle Earth?  A realm that didn't even exist!  My mind strayed back to _the hobbit_ and the way the Kind had been portrayed, suddenly the feeling of dread that had been slowly forming in my stomach grew into a fireball of terror and I could do nothing but follow.

*Levodopa:  A medicine used to combat Parkinson's disease.  The Levodopa changes into Dopamine, which is used in the brain to carry chemical signals across synapses.

**_ELVISH TRANSLATIONS_**__

**_Dina:_**_  Be silent_

**_Ed' i'ear ar' elenea!_**_:  By the sea and stars_

**_Lle lava?_**_:  Do you yield_

**_Lle quena i'lambe tel' Eldalie_**_:  Do you speak elvish?_

**_Mani naa ta_**_:  What is it?_

**_Mani naa essa en lle?_**_:  What is your name?_

The reason the translation is not given in the actual body of text is because 'Cinderella' does not know what they are saying, so therefore you don't!

**_Mayrana:_**_  Yes Gimli and Gandalf doing puppy dog eyes would be rather scary, I not quite amusing!_

**_Candyfloss:_**_  Hi momo, lol, I haven't taken as long as Gwil did to update, so hopefully you'll keep up with the plot._

**_nic nac:_**_  Well no, King is not Aragorn **laughs** is in fact King Thranduil Kinf og Mirkwood/ Eryn Lasgalen depending on what part of the third age we're setting this in, probably in the 'dark years' so Mirkwood, yes I've decided making an executive decision, it's Mirkwood!  Yes descriptive, writing in first person tends to make us do that!_

**_BlackmageI2:_**_  Lol, are you sure that was vitamin pills you were taking?  Use captivating!  Makes me feel bigheaded!  Yes, being told you have an enchanting story is always good._

_Earedien_

_Ps, this is from Gwilwileth, ignore my slightly insane co-writer! :)_


	5. Is definitely needed by our heroine

**A Spoon full of sugar**

**Chapter four:**

Written by: **Gwilwileth**

From then on it was a blur, I bleakly made out the shape of their stone city of caves made to look like that…city, the one I couldn't remember the name of at the time.

I vaguely noticed the heavy glances in my direction causing various reactions from shock to a knowing smirk, which I most certainly did not like.

We stopped in front of some large doors, how they opened and by who I did not notice for I was to busy immersing my self in what felt like a hallucination.  I hazily remember being pushed into the room, Daugnir ahead of me conversing with someone in their own tongue.

He gesticulated his hand sweeping in my direction before pointing ahead.  The guard or advisor, whoever it was kept on flickering his gaze towards me, his eyes indecipherable, a trait that all elves seem to have a natural talent for.  Eventually the discussion got slightly heated before Daugnir let out a self-satisfied smirk and beckoned for me to follow.

I did so, idly wondering where my sudden strength had come from.  I had not eaten, and I had had one night of fitful sleep, albeit with a thick blanket that had kept me warm.  I still had the flu; it's affects still at paramount though lately I had been ignoring it, mainly due to the fact that I knew I could so absolutely _nothing_ about it.

I had not been paying attention and walked straight into Daugnir who glared at me slightly, before his eyes flashed in amusement though this was quickly quenched.  I frowned, extremely perplexed, blinking rapidly as I look around slightly.

"_Bow!_"  I heard someone hiss and I looked at them somewhat puzzled.  It was Daugnir, who was already on his knees staring reverently at the floor "_Bow!_"

I did so unsteadily, not entirely sure whether I would actually be able to get back up afterwards, my 'burst' of adrenaline was starting to wane and I felt the need to collapse.

We knelt for what seemed like ten minutes before we were given permission to stand up.  Daugnir steadily stood, and started to recount some events, at least that's what I assumed he was talking about.  I slowly stood up, my limbs aching.  I bit my dry chapped lips and winced, they were sore and I knew if I felt the need to speak soon, or if I drank anything acidic or ate anything slightly seasoned with salt I would scream bloody murder.

"What is your name?" I looked up in surprise only just taking in King Thranduil, who was dressed to perfection, his robes obviously expensive made of heavy materials in vibrant colours.  His blonde hair seemed to be brushed to perfection, neatly braided to stay out of his face.  His eyes, however, were icy and radiated power and I felt my knees quiver.

I opened my mouth to reply, taking a deep breath only to wince in pain as my chapped lips cracked.  My body then convulsed in further wracking coughs, a combination of both the flu and my water deprived state adding up to, well this.  I put my hand up as if to offer a sorry, before I fell to my knees, my legs no longer able to support my body.

No one came to my aid, in fact they seemed to be watching my display in amusement and well, interest, apparently my suffering on the floor was something they had never seen before, and who was I not to continue.

I eventually stopped coughing, taking in large gulps of air in attempt to calm my body down.  I then sneezed, one, twice, three times.

I blinked back the tears that had formed in my eyes from the exertation and looked back up to the King who didn't seem amused, in fact her seemed slightly horrified.

"What is your name?" he questioned again and I forced my self not to roll my eyes or look at him disbelievingly.

Again I didn't answer, and this time there was audible muttering around the room, and the king got angrier, and started to glow brightly.  I cowered in fear, I may have whimpered as well.

"Her name is Cinderella, my liege." 

The King glanced at Daugnir briefly before casting his heavy, intimidating gaze back at me "is this true?" I paused before nodding vigorously.

"And you are a spy." He stated causing me to frown in confusion, what was he talking about?

"I must admit, using women as spies seems below even the Necromancer's work but he does whatever he can."  Necromancer?  So, I was most definitely in Mirkwood, and the whole 'the hobbit' thing hadn't happened yet for Gandalf, Saruman and whoever else hadn't driven him out yet.

"Why he decided to clad you in a human whore's attire I do not know." I glowered, how dare he say such a thing!  I looked down at my nightdress, which was now stained by mud, grass and the general sludge of my previous prison.  I blushed when I realised the straps on either side has slowly eased themselves down my arms, almost to my elbows, and all to much flesh was showing, leaving nothing to the imagination, at least cleavage wise.  I hastily pulled them back up to their correct place on my shoulder before looking back at the king.

"You obviously do not agree" I obviously did not hold a natural talent for hiding my emotions in fact he seemed to be reading me like an open book "But I suppose if you have been brought up in such a way you know no different."

My chest burned with indignation and had I a voice to speak I would have spoken back quite harshly and probably have ended up with my head waiting to be sliced off.  As it was my punishment was just as nice a stay in one of their famous prisons, I was bursting with excitement.

"Take her away, we will question her further tomorrow."  Rapid Sindarin or maybe even Sylvan was fired over my head in quick succession and this time a new, very handsome elf took me away.

We continued along various corridors, my arm in a vice grip though I didn't notice after all I was busy marvelling over the subterranean hallways and rooms covered in bright tapestries and trees along with the tinkle of water from far away.

Eventually we arrived at a door, where I was stopped, glared at before the elf unlocked the large door and pushed me in, not harshly but not with care either, "My name is Edraithil, if you need anything do not hesitate to ask I will give you what I am allowed to.  First of all you will need clothes, you may" here he paused "like what you are wearing but it is unsuitable for your room it is quite cold."  I nodded slightly and was suddenly plunged into darkness as the door was closed and locked, Edraithil was going away.

~*~

A/n Not much we can say other then a huge apology for having you wait so long.  We have both had conflicting schedules lately, exams and coursework have been piling up as it's the end of our year now (only 8 weeks left).  The good thing is all coursework has been completed now on Gwilwileth's side and Earedien, well I haven't but it shouldn't get in the way as I never do it anyway *coughs*

But to reviews…

**Mayrana:**  Yes, he's going to be in it.  Fanfiction's with all OC's are annoying to say the least- you read the fanfiction to hear abut the actual character, at least that's my personal opinion.

**Candy:**  If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise would it?

**Rouge:**  Thank you very much.

**Elrohir lover:**  Thank you on both accounts.

Read and Review  

Gwilwileth & Earedien


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